A 21-year-old girl, Shreshtha, lost her life in a road accident on August 1 on Telibandha GE Road. Shikha Agarwal, who was driving the car that hit Shreshtha, was released on bail within half an hour of her arrest evoking widespread outrage.
Shreshtha’s father, Aabhas Satpathi, an AGM at SBI, expressed anguish over the lenience of the authorities towards the accused. “This is a travesty of justice. My daughter is gone forever, and the person responsible for her death was released within half an hour,” he said.
According to reports, Shikha Agarwal, wife of Tirtharaj Agarwal, an officer on special duty to Minister Kedar Kashyap, had been fined for reckless driving barely 15 days before the fatal accident. On the day of the accident, she was driving on the wrong side of the road at a high speed and hit Shreshtha, who was walking in the correct direction, before speeding away from the scene leaving the girl to succumb to her injuries. She didn’t care to stop to help her.
Aabhas Satpathi questioned the police handling of the case, saying, “The accused was treated like a guest at the police station. She should have been kept in custody to understand the gravity of her crime.”
Chhattisgarh Congress party spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla condemned the incident, stating, “This unfortunate incident is a sheer example of the misuse of power. If the police had taken solid action against the culprit, it would have solidified the trust of the people in the administration.”
The police claimed that Shikha was released on bail as the charges against her were bailable under the relevant section of the Motor Vehicles Act. However, the victim’s family and locals are demanding stricter action against the accused.